Air-cushion for vehicles.



No. 811,622. PATENTED FEB. 6, 1906.

' M. DOWNER.

AIR CUSHION FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 7, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHBET 1.

WIZ'i'YmfiSQ/S 1727/672607 No. 811,622. PATENTED FEB. s, 1906. M.DOWNER.

AIR CUSHION FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 7. 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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JMT /-I' 2 fizwenor.

v the bolsters D .citizen of the United States,

MURILLO .DOWNER, O

F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MIR-CUSHION FOR WEHIICILIES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 6, 1906.

Application filed May 7, 1904:. Serial No. 206,842.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MURILLO DOWNER, a

residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Air-Cushions forVehicles, of

which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to air-cushions for cars and like vehicles, and hasfor its object to provide new and improved constructions for devices ofthat class.

It is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein-- Figure 1 is aside view of a car-truck with my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is avertical sectional view on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view ofthe truck, and Fig. 4 a vertical section through one of the cylinders.

Like letters of re erence indicate like parts in all of the drawings.

A A are the wheels of the car, and B B the axles, which are mounted inany suitable manner on the truck. The truck may be made of the side bars(1 C in the manner shown, connected by the channel-bar C and theuprights C C.

represents the body of the car, having 1!) at the sides withhearingfaces thereupon.

D is a central car-bolster having a circular bearing-plate.

Between the car-body and the truck is a floating bolster made to supportthe cushioning devices'and the car-body. This bolster is preferably madeof the transverse bars E E and the longitudinal connecting-braces E E.It has centrally thereon the plate E pro vided with a circular bearing Eto engage with the bearing-face of bolster D on the vehicle-body. Ateach end of the floating bolster is a cylinder F, secured between thetransverse bars E E by the bolts F F or in any desired manner. Thecylinders are provided each with a removable top piece or cap F whichcarries the bearing-plate F to en gage with the bearing-face on one ofthe side bolsters D of the wagon+body, there being a sliding connectionbetween these parts, as shown. If preferred, a roller-bearing might beinserted at this place. The cylinders F F are supplied with air by thepipe G, having therein the pressure-regulating valve G and a flexiblepart G so as to provide for the turning of the truck. Beyond theflexible part the ipe has two branches G" G, having therein t echeck-valves (1 G one branch leading to each of the cylinders. Toprovide against the possibility of too great a pressure of air in thecylinders, each of such cylinders is provided with a blow-ofl' valve H,operated by a pivoted crank-arm H, which is conneet-' -ed to a pin H onthe channel-bar C by the slotted link 11. The parts of this device areso adjusted that when the cylinder is raised to a predetermined distanceabove the truck. the link H automatically opens the valve to permit theescape of air fromthe cylinder. Within each cylinder is a plunger J,having on the upper side the disk J and a suitable packing-ring J It isthe purpose of my cushioning device to use air as a cushioning means;butto provide for the energency which would arise if the supply of airshould give out or if the piston or cylinder should become leaky anddefective I have in readiness an auxiliary or emergency cushioningdevice which is adapt- ,ed to be brought into play if need be. Thisdeviee consists of a spring or other elastic part which is placed withinthe air-cushion, preferably seated upon the plunger. To this end Iprovide the plunger with the stud K, land around this stud are placed,preferably, two spiral springs K K one within the other. These springsdo not normally engage with the upper end of the cylinder; but shouldthe air-supply fail or become considerably diminished the cylinder willin consequence be lowered and find a flexible support upon thesesprings. The attaching device for the plunger is also made elastic andis preferably composed also of two spiral springsL L, one with. in theother. proper position by the stud M, extended from the plate M on thelower side of the piston, and by a similar stud N 011 a similar plate No n the channel bar 0. These springs are made, preferably, very heavyand ordinarily do notad (1 much ion, but come into play as a cushioningdevice when the air gives out in the cylinder. In order to prevent theswinging lon itudinally or from side to side, a king-bolt F) may beused. This bolt passes through the bottom of the vehicle-body andthrough the central bolster-plate E and the channel-bar (1, thus forminga pivot upon which the wagonbody may turn and also insuring truevertical motion of the cushioning devices.

In addition to the blow-off valve H, which limits the upward travel ofthe floating bolster by the diminution of to the elasticity of thecushair-pressure, I also.

These springs are held easy repair of such I placing of packing, whenthat becomes necestransverse bars E and These" cured to one of thepassing through the channel-bar'C.

bolts are threaded at their ends and provided with nuts P P and theWashers P P. Be tween the washers and the channel-bar C are interposedspiral springs or other elastic members P 'P I have thus illustrated anddescrib d with some particularity the application 0 my in vention to usein air-cushioning devices for car-trucks and similar vehicles; but theinvention could obviously be e uall y well used in other sorts ofvehicles. so the particular forms and constructions set forth are merelyby way of illustration of a particular application of my invention andmight be greatly varied without departing from the broad spirit of myinvention, and therefore I do not limit myself to the particular formsand constructions above set forth.

The use and operationof my invention are as follows: A supply of'air isadmitted to the cylinders by pipe G through the pressureregulating valveG and is held in such cylinders by the check valves G G. The springs LL, as has been said, give, preferably, but little elasticity to thecushioning devices, but are useful in taking up'any side motion of thevehicle-body, so that the plunger will operate in the cylinder withouthindrance and also come into play if for any reason the air-supply givesout. In this event the cylinders sink down upon springs K K whichprovide thereupon a suffic ently elastic support for the vehicle; Thedevices P P are also useful to put a positive limit upon the upwardtravel of the floating bolster and its supported parts, without,however, causing 'olt or strain. These deany destructive 1 vices alsocome into play when the air-sup- P r in place against the springs K K inthe event of a sudden ar. Therefore it Will be seen that my deviceprovides, in conjunction with a complete system of air-cushions, anequally-complete system of springs adapted to come into action wheneverthe air-cushions fail to work. The removable caps F I? of the pistonadmit of cylinders, such as the resary.

I claimf l 1'. In an air-cushioning device for vehicles an air-cushionto normally carry the load and a spring within such cushion adapted topro vide an elastic support for the vehicle Whenthe pressure of air isdiminished in the cush ion.

2. An air-cushion for vehiclescomprising a cylinder and a plunger mcombination with a spring normally in engagement with but one of theparts of such cushion, and adapted to adapted to nation of a floatingbolster,

gives out, operating to retain the bolster recoil of the substitutedengage with the other so as to support the vehicle when the air-pressurein the cylinder is diminished.

3. In an air-cushion for vehicles the combination of a cylinder, aplunger therein, a spring upon the plunger normally out of engagementwith the end of the cylinder and adapted to be brought into engagementthere with when the pressure of air in the cylinder is diminished. V

4; An air-cushioning device for vehicles be interposed between the bodyof the vehicle and its running-gear, comprising an aircylinderassociated with one of such parts of the vehicle, a plunger in suchcylinder such plunger and cylinder adapted to exib'le coactto'normallycarry the load and a connection between the plunger and theother of such parts.

5. In an air-cushion for vehicles the combination of an air-cylinder, aplunger in suc cylinder, a spring on each side of such plunger, the onewithln the air-chamber normally not under tension, the one on the otherside ofthe plunger being adapted to form a conplunger and one of thenection between the parts of the vehicle to be cushioned.

6. In an air-cushion for'vehicles the combination of a floating bolster,a cylinder on such bolster having a removable cap and adapted to form asupport for the vehiclebody, a plunger in the cylinder and a connectionbetween the plunger and the runninggear of" the vehicle.

7. In an air-cushion for vehicles the combisu'ch bolster having aremovable cap and adapted to form a support for the vehiclebody, aplunger in the cylinder, and an elastic support between the plunger andthe runninggear of the vehicle,

8. In an air-cushion for vehicles the combination of a floating bolster,a cylinder on such bolster, a bearing-plate on the cylinder adapted'toprovide a sliding bearing for the vehicle-body, a plunger in suchcylinder, and a flexible support interposed between the plunger andtherunning-gear of the vehicle. 9. In an air-cushion forvehicles thecombination of a floating bolster, a cylinder on such bolster, a.bearing plate on the cylinder ada ted to provide a sliding bearinvehicle-body, a plunger in such cy inder, a flexible supportinterposedbetween the plunerandthe running-gear a device adapted to ofthe floating bolster.

10. In an air-cushioning device for vehicles the combination of afloating bolster, an airoushion interposed between such bolster an therunning-gear of the vehicle, and a device for limiting the upward travelof the bolster comprising a bolt and an elastic device thereon adaptedto be put under tension when the bolster is raised. V

for the of the vehicle, and limit the upward travel a cylinder on v 11.In an air-cushioningde'vice forvehicles the plun ers and therunning-gear of the vethe combination of a fioatlng bolster with ahicle, an a support for the vehicle-body cencylinder at each end,sliding bearings for the trally of the bolster. I5

vehicle-body on such cylinders, plungers in 13. In a cushion device forvehicles, the

g the cylinders, and flexible connections becombination of anair-cushion to normally tween the plungers and the running-gear of carrythe load, with an auxiliaryspring adaptthe vehicle. ed to provide anelastic support when the 12. In an air-cushioning device for vehiclespressure of air is diminished in the cushion. 20

the combination of a floatini bolster with a MURILLO DOWNER.

o cylinder at each end, sliding earings for the Witnesses:

vehicle-body on such cylinders, plunger-s in 'HOMER L. KRAFT, thecylinders, flexible connections between PEROIVAL W. TRUMAN.

